Siamese twin heads home

Miracle Siamese twin Gracie Attard was today heading back to her parents' home on the tiny Mediterranean island of Gozo - seven months after she was separated from her sister in a life-saving operation.

Gracie, who was separated from her weaker sister Rosie in a marathon 20-hour operation at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester on November 7 last year, is now 10-months-old and is ready to fly home with her parents Michaelangelo and Rina Attard.

Mr Attard, 44, told the News of the World: 'My wife Rina and I didn't want to separate them ever. It was against our strong religious beliefs. Of course we're now happy that we still have Gracie - this is the greatest Father's Day gift I could ever have wished for.'

And Mrs Attard, 29, told the Mail on Sunday: 'The decision was taken out of our hands in the end but we are happy that the decision to separate was taken by the judges.'

The twins were born in Britain on August 8 last year with fused spines which left them joined at the abdomen and with their arms and legs joined at right angles to their upper bodies.

Their birth was followed by a legal battle as surgeons went to the High Court to win the right to separate them.

The strictly Roman Catholic Attards objected on religious grounds, believing the fate of the twins should be left in the hands of God.

They challenged the decision to operate in a privately-funded appeal but three appeal judges decided Rosie must die to save the life of her stronger sister Gracie.

Without surgery both twins would have died as Rosie was sapping the life from Gracie, whose heart and lungs were keeping them both alive.

Rosie died, as expected, within hours of the operation and was buried earlier this year in Gozo.

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